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CarComplaints.com Notes: For the third year in a row, the 3rd generation Focus is experiencing massive transmission problems.

Most notably owners keep complaining about how there's bad hesitation and jerking when starting from a stop. This isn't the result of an old, worn out part. In fact, the average mileage it's reported to us is just over 15k miles.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
22 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,168 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Ford Focus drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2014 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 21 of 66)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #902

Jul 202019

Focus

  • 90,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. When the vehicle was started, it did not move without warning. The vehicle was taken to george waikem Ford (330-478-1801, located at 4321 lincolnway E, massillon, oh 44646) where it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,500.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #901

Aug 022019

Focus

  • 85,460 miles
On August 02 2019 took my Focus to a mechanic shop for what I thought was brake problems and it turns out to be transmission problem the mechanic mention a recall for Focus tranni that's how I start reading about the transmission issues on Ford Focus please advise me on what to expect next my car got 85000 miles, the clucthes were replace in 2016, I call the neirest Ford dealer the say they need to inspect the car but there is garanty?

- Fajardo, PR, USA

problem #900

Feb 252018

Focus

  • miles
I have had two particular incidents of worry, not including daily issues with my vehicle. One was the winter of 2018 and one was the fall of 2018. What is happening with my Ford is things such as, getting stuck on hills when it snows because my car cannot get out of first gear to move. When driving, even on flat areas, it will chug and jolt as you try to accelerate and get out of first gear going into second. There are also times when it gets loud as if it is struggling to move or parts are giving out. I have had a chip in my car replaced due to it losing ability to drive properly and inability to put the car in reverse. This caused it to need to be flat bedded to a dealer for repair. I specifically worry about driving during the winter in the snow and ice because the jolting issue is so bad I am afraid I will get stuck on another hill or in accident. This does cause fear when I am driving as to what may happen when the weather gets bad outside and not knowing how my car will respond and drive.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #899

Aug 052019

Focus

  • 110,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Shuddering, jerking, failing to engage from a standstill. This has continued from time the car was under warranty to several years later. I was told there was nothing that could be done, and now I have gotten a engine service warning and the car has trouble shifting to higher gears.

- Commerce Twp, MI, USA

problem #898

Jun 212019

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The car ran out of gas even though the gauge indicated the car had about 60 miles to go before empty. Now, the transmission seems to be going out. When the car shifts from 1st to 2nd gear it feels like the car is about to stall out.

- Arcadia, FL, USA

problem #897

Jul 262019

Focus

  • miles
2014 Ford Focus SE sedan. Ford procrastinated fixing the transmission module. I reported the problem repeatedly but they said it was normal for the 6 speed auto transmission. Finally I threatened to contact NHTSA and Ford customer service and they replaced the module at 13,000 miles and again after 26,000 miles. They delayed again and now at 62,000 they say I need a new clutch. My dad was a mechanic and I take care of our vehicles. I believe that the delay in repairing the module lead to wear on the clutch. It is very unusual for an automatic transmission to have this problem with less than 100,000 miles and normal wear and tear, especially since the 2015 model is covered for this problem.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #896

Mar 042019

Focus

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall and clutch replaced at least twice by seymour Ford in jackson, mi. On 3/4/19 my car died at a two-way stop sign and I was lucky to push it out of harm's way. It was towed to seymour and they soldered a part back together.

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #895

Dec 102018

Focus

  • 21,000 miles
Transmission stutters and stalls when I accelerate. I have had it into the dealership several times to correct the problem but it continues to stutter and stall. It has become a dangerous situation and I fear for my safety and other passengers.

- Pinckney, MI, USA

problem #894

Aug 012014

Focus

  • 4,000 miles
Transmission shutters and hesitates when starting off. At 4000 miles dealers said the computer needed to learn my driving habits, at 12000miles they replaced the tcm. At 20000 miles they replaced the trans seals because oil was leaking on to the clutch, at 40000 they replaced the clutch plates, at 80000 they replaced the clutch plates again, at 100000 the shuddering is back but they want $1900 to replace the clutch plates, what a mess!

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

problem #893

Aug 012019

Focus

  • 51,000 miles
When I press the gas pedal from 1-45 mph the car hesitates to go and then jerks forward. I took it into the Ford dealer who stated it was a bad clutch and they replaced the clutch. A month later the same problem occurred again so I took it back to the dealer who say the transmission was leaking which ruined the clutch and it had to be replaced again. Within 2 months I had to buy 2 clutches and pay to fix the transmission.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #892

Jul 312019

Focus

  • 30,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle has at multiple times lost acceleration power at high way speeds and had a transmission warning flash on, causing myself to have to stop on the interstate and attempt to coast to the shoulder amid highway speed vehicles. I have also lost acceleration power going uphill, and my vehicle shudders at acceleration which makes it hard to merge on and off the highway or to turn at intersections, as I can't get guarantee my car won't hesitate and cause a collision, my car also sometimes accelerated forward in stopped traffic, so I always am super wary in stop go traffic. All of these problems typically occur when I am attempting to accelerate or decelerate. Multiple transmission repairs with same issue. Still happening to date.

- Fortville, IN, USA

problem #891

Jul 312019

Focus

  • 23,130 miles
I purchased a used Ford Focus in July of 2016 from joe machens capital Ford in jefferson city, mo. It was sold with a 100000 mile warranty and had 20,725 miles on the odometer. Within 24 hours of driving it home to rolla, mo I started noticing a shudder and shake while driving the car. I was unsure what was going on and called the dealership only to be told this was normal due to the type of clutch installed in the Ford Focus and not to worry about what I was experiencing. This went on for some time and grew progressively worse. I received a recall on the shuddering problem which I learned was actually a clutch issue. I took my car to the local Ford dealership in rolla to have the clutch assembly replaced for the first time on 9/21/16. It should be noted the previous owner had the transmission control module replaced on 2/8/15 and replaced again on 8/3/15 at the jefferson city, mo dealership. After having the clutch assembly replaced in rolla it was only a matter of weeks before the problem was back - shuddering, jerking, sounds like a chain being dragged underneath the motor or gravel crunching, and sometimes, even had the car hesitate or completely stop in the middle of the road. The car was in motion each time I experienced the above situations. It does it upon take off, while driving, up hills, pulling out into traffic, etc. It has had the same problems day after day except for maybe hours after having it in the shop. I drive my car for work every day and was not able to have it back in the shop until January of 2018 to have the clutch assembly replaced again along with some other recall work that was done at the same time. When I picked the car up after the repairs were made a second time I was given a printout of operating characteristics of the powershift 6-speed transmission. What a load of crap that was.

- Rolla, MO, USA

problem #890

Jul 192019

Focus

  • 120,000 miles
We purchased this car and it cut off on my daughter due to the gas tank not functioning properly. The car was repaired and we paid for it. Shortly after, the car's transmission stopped shifting properly, lose power, jerk, and shake while driving. It has become so unpredictable that we are unable to drive it. We have been to Ford for their secret repairs to the transmission and consistently been told by those that are to do the repair that they don't know anything about it.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #889

Jun 012014

Focus

  • 4,000 miles
I have a 2014 Ford Focus with less that 40,000 miles that has the transmission that bucks and jumps when starting from a stop and especially when being used in stop and go traffic. I don't know if this is a safety issue but it sure makes me uncomfortable that it will not keep going. I had hoped that the class action law suit that was filed would help to get this bad transmission fixed but the result of the law suit was lacking any clear resolution for this problem. Being on social security I can't afford to just go get a new car and hearing stories at the auto deanship convinced me that Ford did not have a fix for the problem. One person at the dealership was told that since he had his repaired once, that Ford wouldn't fix it again and the cost to have the dealer work on it was $2,000.

- Raymond, NH, USA

problem #888

May 302018

Focus

  • miles
The dual clutch has been replaced numerous times since our purchase of the car. We bought it used from a Ford dealership and looking at maintenance records this had already been an issue before it was sold to us. This information was never disclosed to us prior to purchase. The car unexpectedly jolts forward causing an issue with acceleration. The dual clutch has had to continually be replaced every few months incurring high maintenance costs. We are concerned about the safety of the car and the high maintenance costs incurred because the transmission has not yet been recalled. If this is known to be the issue, the consumer should not have to pay for temporary fixes, when the problem could be resolved by the replacement of the transmission.

- Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #887

Feb 162015

Focus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,500 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Focus. On several occasions, while driving between 1-45 mph, the vehicle failed to respond when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to metro Ford (located at 9000 nw 7th ave, miami, fl 33150, (305) 751-9711) on several occasions where it was diagnosed that the clutch in the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the clutch had been replaced once every year since the vehicle was purchased. The VIN was not available to verify whether the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V523000 (power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,500. Consumer stated current mileage on vehicle 15. Also, when accerlerating between 0-45mph the car jumps and backs while trying to shift into the next gear. Consistently happens between first and second gear and second and third gear. Also, bucks and jumps consistently while decelerating from 3rd~2nd gear and 2nd ~1st gear.

- Miami Beach, FL, USA

problem #886

Nov 252016

Focus

  • 72,482 miles
Transmission began shuddering during take-off and while driving. Basically, the clutches are slipping causing the car to shudder, or in some cases not move at all, even though in gear. After researching, learned about a massive issue that Ford was aware of, but someone my vehicle falls just outside of extended warranty issued by Ford, even though every transmission of this model is defective with a manufacturing defect. Paid $1400 for clutch pack repair. Had same repair done, under service warranty 10,000 miles and exactly 1 year later. Had same repair done another year later, except no longer under repair warranty, so had to pay another $1400. According to Ford service technicians, this issue really is not fixable. They can only replace parts, which is a band-aid until the exact same issue happens again, which is fluid leakingg past seals and ruining the clutches. Unfixable, only temp patch. So, even though Ford knew this transmission had an issue before the put it into production, I now have to pay $1400 every two years forever, to continue repairing their flaw, have a vehicle with decreased trade value that I can't get rid of. These cars are entry level. The owners of these vehicles can't afford to fund Ford's corporate greed. How dare them look the other way and not take responsibility for design flaws that their own engineers warned them about. The extended warranty only applied to a small subset of the affected vehicles. The previous class action lawsuit was a joke that only provides relief after many thousands are spent on repairs. Basically the law firm got rich and the affected consumer got a jelly-of-the-month club certificate.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #885

Nov 192018

Focus

  • 95,000 miles
Was driving down highway and lost power, had to coast off at exit and limp to Ford dealer where it cost a substantial amount of money to repair the transmission including was told clutch, and packs. Extremely dangerous situation if I wasn't in the right hand lane. I have had shudder and power issues since the vehicle was brand new, but was told by manufacture and dealers that it was normal for the automatic transmission. Due to manufacture and dealer claims, the transmission was never serviced prior to catastrophic failure at highway speeds.

- Ottawa Hills, OH, USA

problem #884

Jul 292019

Focus

  • 117,000 miles
Powershift transmission is causing problems. My 2014 Ford Focus had a history of slipping when shifting, but I did not take it into the dealer for a diagnostic until my regular mechanic noticed it and red flagged it as a concern while operating the vehicle. I took the car to my local dealership and paid $160 to run a complete diagnostic of the transmission system. The result of that diagnostic was the internal clutch was bad, and I would need to do a complete rebuild of both the clutch and the transmission, because the clutch is located inside the transmission, at a cost of $3,081.77. After recovering from sticker shock, I was told it was ok to continue to drive the car until the clutch stopped working as they anticipated failure in the lower gears. After this information, I reached out to two transmission repair centers for a second opinion, both which told me that Ford has been repairing all the transmissions they have seen with this problem at no cost to the owner. In addition, they told me they were not able to purchase the replacement parts listed in the diagnostic results because Ford is not selling them to outside repair houses because of the number of repairs Ford is making on this transmission. Today the clutch failed and I could only use the lower two gears to limp my car back to the dealer, again being quoted the original repair price. The dealer service rep is telling me Ford is either repairing for free or sometimes credit up to 50% of the repairs, mileage dependant. When I called the number the dealer provided, I was assigned case # cas22256019 and told 0% would be credited because they have no record of a problem. It is clear that this is an on-going problem of the drive train, also that Ford is not being up front about the extent of the problem. I believe the NHTSA needs to step in and work with Ford to develop a consistent solution to this issue.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #883

Jul 012014

Focus

  • miles
Transmission and clutch issues when trying to accelerate

- Baytown, TX, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

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